Leon couldn't hide the shock on his face when he clearly heard one of the Avalon Guild patrol members say their headquarters was under attack.
Avalon was the first guild Leon had ever joined. They had helped him a lot up until now.
Letting the guild base get attacked without showing up to help would be irresponsible.
"Twilight! They're asking for death," Leon muttered, his fists clenched tight.
The female patrol member turned to the side, noticing a man wearing a black shirt and pants.
The player status hovering above him clearly showed he was a PK and had no guild.
"A PK player?" the woman asked, stunned.
She quickly pulled out her sword and pointed it forward, signaling Leon to stay away from the man with the PK status.
Leon and Ethan both understood her reaction—it was only natural.
She didn't know they were friends.
"Calm down. He's my friend," Leon said, lowering her blade.
The woman squinted, still looking at Ethan with a mix of suspicion and curiosity.
Then she read his username—and her face stiffened when she realized who he was.
"Your friend has killed half the beginner players in Nile City. He's a dangerous criminal, worse than a guild traitor," she said coldly.
"Look at him. Does he look like he's planning to rebel or fight anyone?"
Ethan hadn't summoned his Fire-Pillar Sword, and his armor was hidden under his [Costume Appearance].
The woman finally decided EthanArk didn't seem aggressive at all.
"Alright. Either way, we should focus on the fact that our base is being attacked," the woman said, and Leon nodded in agreement.
Leon and the woman talked about the details. Guild-versus-guild attacks were common, even though they weren't officially encouraged by the system.
The culture and habits of players had already formed long before the Full-Drive VR tragedy happened.
To them, attacking another guild unofficially wasn't something evil—it was just part of the game.
"How many attackers?" Leon asked.
"About 170 players. They're going all out from the front gate," the woman answered.
"How many defenders are inside the base?"
"Around 250."
Leon nodded, then turned to get Ethan's opinion. Ethan stayed quiet at first—the woman didn't expect any advice from a PK.
But since Leon seemed to trust him, she decided to listen anyway.
Ethan started giving his thoughts. He had years of experience in Tower of Ascension; countless guilds had tried raiding LionArk before.
But every time, they failed. Their tactics, their sieges—it all ended in complete defeat for them.
In the end, all those attacks only strengthened LionArk's reputation.
Now, Leon was about to face something similar with Avalon. Ethan had never heard of the guild before, so he assumed it was formed after the VR tragedy.
"There's no other choice—you need to go there and help," Ethan said.
Leon nodded, understanding right away. Once they decided, Leon and the woman started heading out of the city. Ethan didn't follow.
Leon stopped when he noticed Ethan walking in the opposite direction.
"Where are you going?" Leon asked.
"I need money to upgrade my Crystal Spirit and Soul Servant. I think I'll head outside the city to hunt monsters," Ethan replied.
"Come with me first. Can you help our guild?"
"I can't."
"I can't be seen helping Avalon. Rumors will spread, and the hate aimed at me will turn toward your guild instead," Ethan said quietly.
"Enough people have died because they helped me… I'm not repeating that again."
Leon sighed but nodded, understanding even though he wished Ethan would come along.
"Alright. I get it."
Soon after, Leon and the woman left for the west side of the city, while Ethan went the other way, focusing on strengthening himself.
To buy high-level Crystal Spirits and get a powerful Soul Servant, he needed a lot of gold—more than he currently had.
Avoiding the main roads, Ethan jumped up to the rooftops, sprinting across them with ease.
When he reached the highest building to check the city's layout, his eyes caught sight of thick smoke and explosions in the west.
"Is that Avalon?" Ethan muttered.
He wasn't the only one curious—many other players were heading there just to watch.
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
So guild wars have become a form of entertainment now, huh?
From below, he saw a group of players running from the eastern district. They were wearing black-and-blue uniforms with the guild abbreviation "TWL" glowing above their names.
Twilight members?
Ethan stood tall, turning his head toward the Twilight Guild complex. Many players in those same colors were leaving the base.
I can't help Leon directly, but if I attack their base, that's not the same as helping Avalon.
They'll never realize it anyway.
After most of Twilight's members left, Ethan decided it was time.
He leapt from the building, darting from rooftop to rooftop until he reached the Twilight Guild complex.
Since their leader had ordered a full-scale attack on Avalon, their base was barely guarded.
Ethan landed hard in the middle of the guild courtyard with a loud impact. The shockwave kicked up wind everywhere, alerting the guards.
"I-It's Ethan!" one of them shouted.
"What's he doing here?" another yelled.
"It's the criminal! Ethan broke into our base! Stop him now!"
The players drew their weapons and charged. Ethan reacted instantly, summoning his Fire-Pillar Sword and swinging it in a crimson arc.
BLAST!
A massive explosion sent several players flying. Because their levels were much lower, Ethan easily wiped them out.
The survivors panicked, using the guild chat to warn their leader and officers to return immediately.
Meanwhile, back at the Avalon Guild base, the battle suddenly stopped when Twilight's leader received the emergency message. His face went pale.
Leon, who was defending the front gate, frowned in confusion when the Twilight members began retreating.
The Avalon guild members cheered, thinking it was their victory.
Leon shot an arrow, striking one of the retreating players in the leg. The man collapsed, unable to move. Leon dashed forward and grabbed him.
The Twilight Guild leader was known to be greedy and arrogant—he wouldn't call a retreat unless something serious happened.
"What's going on?!" Leon demanded.
"D-Don't kill me, please."
"Speak!"
"E-EthanArk. That criminal. He's attacking our base."
"Our leader ordered everyone to go back and defend it," the player stammered.
Ethan?!
What the hell are you planning, Ethan?!